


Echoes

by cuethesun



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst and Humor and Fluff, Day 03: Sound, KuroDai Week 2020, M/M, Mentions of parental abandonment, except it's actually 4+1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuethesun/pseuds/cuethesun
Summary: Four times Kuroo Tetsurou hated having good hearing, and one time he was OK with it.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 20
Kudos: 187
Collections: KuroDai Week 2020





	Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third entry for KuroDai Week 2020! Day 03's themes were Sound and Silence, and I chose Sound. This one actually takes place in Canon, though there's some speculation regarding Kuroo's life before and after Nekoma.

**1.**

As a little kid, Tetsu used to be afraid of robbers.

He couldn’t remember exactly why; as far as he knew, they had never been robbed, nor had any other family in their neighborhood. This didn’t stop him from staying awake, straining his ears for any sound of an intruder — and sometimes going down the stairs with his dad’s baseball bat to hit what turned out to be a lost moth.

Dad always worried about it, but Grandpa kept saying it was just him becoming a man; when they talked on the phone, he would tell him not to give up their TV without a fight. He made Tetsu feel a little proud about it, which was nice.

The downside was that he was usually with his eyes wide open when mom got home.

He would listen to her come in, the noises of her heels on the hallway before she switched them for soft slippers; then she would amble on to the kitchen, knocking plates against each other, running the microwave loudly. Her eating was mostly quiet, but her coming up the stairs wasn’t; she would pass by on her way to the guest room, and he would hear the little noises she made until she fell asleep.

She never stopped by his room.

Sometimes Dad would be up too, and Tetsu would listen to his socked feet going downstairs. And then he would listen to them fight.

Most of the time, he couldn’t make out the words, but he didn’t need to — he just had to listen to their tone. He would hear it getting louder and louder as they came upstairs, as Dad warned her to lower her voice, and he would hear the angry slam of her closed door.

Plus the one time he heard her screaming she didn’t ever want to have a kid anyway, and it was all Dad’s fault for making her have one.

Those nights, he didn’t really care about robbers and the noises they made; he would cover his head with his pillows and hope he didn’t have to listen to anything at all.

* * *

**2.**

“ _Kenmaaa.”_

His best friend froze underneath the covers, and the noise of the Game Boy buttons stopped — just as his Pokémon got hit, if he was reading the sound right.

And if he was, _good._ He was feeling a little vindictive.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” Kenma scowled.

“ _You’re_ supposed to be sleeping,” Tetsu whispered back, angry. “I bet it’s almost morning already!”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is _not._ And this is the last battle anyway.”

“That’s what you said five hours ago.”

“It wasn’t five hours ago.”

“It was.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It was.”

“It _wasn’t_.”

“Even if it wasn’t, I know you can save the game, so _save it,_ so I can _sleep_.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“This _thing_ is!” He had a Game Boy of his own, a gift from his Grandma, but right then he hated every console in the world. “It won’t shut up!”

“…I’ll mute it.”

“But you’re still _hitting the buttons._ ”

Kenma looked conflicted, then; his eyes kept switching from Tetsu to the game, and then back to Tetsu.

Who had to stop himself from sighing. “Who are you fighting?”

“…Psychic Gym.”

“…The gym with all the stupid arrows?”

“Yeah.”

The thing was, Kenma was a good friend. Tetsu had some friends back home from before, but Kenma was better. He didn’t ask a lot of questions, and sat by Tetsu’s side when he cried, and always came along to play volleyball when Tetsu asked, even when he was feeling lazy, or had a new game to try.

And Tetsu didn’t like seeing Kenma feeling bad.

“OK, then, finish your battle.” Oh, he was such a nice kid. “But then turn it off!”

Kenma nodded quickly — and went on slamming buttons, clicking his tongue and breathing in sharply when his Pokémon got hit.

Tetsu just sighed, got his pillows and pressed them against his ears to muffle the sound as much as he could.

* * *

**3.**

In all the many years First Year high school student Kuroo Tetsurou had spent playing volleyball, he thought he had faced every possible challenge known to a player.

He was clearly not prepared for Nekoma’s Training Camp.

Oh, the practice itself wasn’t that bad; longer hours than he was used to, harsh serving drills and even harsher receiving drills, but he could feel his stamina building up over the days, and that visible progress kept him fired up better than any energy drink could. There were also plenty of opportunities to rile Yaku up, which was quickly becoming his favorite hobby.

The training was just fine; the problem were the _nights._

Kawada-senpai _snored_. No, not normal snoring; _snoring._ The kind that moved mountains and shook the walls and made everyone think there was an earthquake. Sometimes he would turn on his side and stop a little, and Tetsu would think that maybe, maybe, it was over — and then another explosive noise would come out, and he would have to contemplate murder again.

Of course, he could have dealt with only the snoring — except Yoon-senpai was also not getting any sleep, and apparently decided to deal with that by trying for the record of ‘how many times you can go to the bathroom in one night’. So far, Tetsu had counted fifteen (although he had to admit he might be making nine of them up.)

And that wasn’t even counting poor Furuya-senpai, who’d caught a nasty cold and was doing different drills to account for it… and was sleeping along with everyone else, his nose making noises that would have disgusted the undead. Tetsu could almost hear the snot running up and down his nasal cavity.

Fuck, right then, he could see an actual greenish bubble form. And _pop._

The price of playing volleyball was too high. He’d have to quit or he’d go insane.

“You know, you’re never going to fall asleep if you don’t calm down.”

The voice coming out of nowhere almost had Tetsu jumping into Yaku’s sleeping bag, and he only managed to stop himself from shouting by stuffing his knuckles in his mouth. He had to take a moment to simmer down before turning and hitting Kai in the arm. “Jesus Christ, _warn a guy._ ”

Kai took it in good grace. “Sorry,” he whispered, an eyebrow raised — and he didn’t have to speak another word for Tetsu to see his point.

“I can’t calm down,” he complained, trying not to whine. “There’s too much noise.”

Kai’s other eyebrow went up. “You don’t look like the type to care about noise.”

“During the day it’s different. And I forgot my extra pillow. I usually sleep like this,” he said, pressing his hands against his ears.

Kai’s puzzled expression cleared up like a light-bulb. “Oh! So that’s why…”

“Yeah, that’s why.”

“I thought it was a weird fashion choice.”

“…What?”

“You know, the hair — oh — I mean, never mind. Have you tried meditation?”

Tetsu sighed. “I don’t really know how to do it.”

“I could teach you some techniques.”

“Right now?”

“Oh, no. You need to practice before you can go for more than a few minutes at a time. You’re too antsy right now.”

“Of course.” Tetsu sighed again, and turned back to Yaku’s sleeping form. “Well, I’m gonna try and stop bothering you then.”

He sulked silently for a few moments, watching the rise and fall of Yaku’s chest, before he felt the cool weight of a pillow on his head.

When he turned, Kai was lying on his stomach, his head directly against the futon.

“Oh, no, man, you don’t need to do that—”

“I’ll be fine.” Kai’s smile had a touch of mischief. “I can meditate.”

“But your neck’s going to hurt in the morning.”

“Not if I sleep like this.” Tetsu was still unsure, so Kai added, “Tomorrow you can ask Coach Naoi for an extra pillow. And you can practice some one-on-one blocking with me, if it makes you feel better.”

It actually did; Tetsu couldn’t even stop the smile on his own face. “Thanks, man.”

“Don’t mention it.”

In less than twenty minutes, they were both out cold.

* * *

**4.**

Living alone was weird.

Sure, it was nice to have his own apartment — even if it was a rental —, and to be able to keep odd hours and eat junk food without Grandma giving him a lecture every time. However, the novelty of coming home to no one had worn out fast; there seemed to be a soundless noise in the air designed to drive him up the wall.

So, when Bokuto called, asking if he could crash at his place for a few days — something about professional pest control —, Tetsu was actually excited about it.

He was a little less enthused when Akaashi showed up in tow.

To Akaashi’s credit, he was embarrassed to realize Bo had failed to warn Tetsu he’d be coming, and he insisted he should stay at a hotel. To Bo’s credit, he was even more embarrassed he’d forgotten to warn his host, and was begging forgiveness on his knees when Tetsu had assured them both it was no problem — that was, if Bo didn’t mind spending the night on the couch.

It didn’t even put much of a damper on the evening. Tetsu didn’t have the same easy friendship with Akaashi as he had with Bokuto, but they had developed something of a rapport over the years, and the man had some of the best reactions out of everyone he had ever teased. They all laughed a lot — well, Tetsu and Bo did, at least — and, when Tetsu gave up on the action movie and went to sleep, he had the satisfaction of knowing he was not alone.

About two hours later, he had auditory evidence of that too.

He woke up with a low buzz of speaking voices; a glance at his phone told him it was far too early to be woken up with a low buzz of speaking voices. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to soothe the sting of frustration — before he remembered that this was his home, those were his guests, and if there was anything wrong he should help them.

He didn’t want to make a ruckus for nothing, though, so he stopped to listen first.

There was some muttering, a few words here and there which he was able to catch — “relax”, “you know as well as I do”, “barbecue” —, and then one of Bokuto’s trademark long whines cut the silence:

“ _Akaasheeee_ , I’m way too fired up to sleep!”

 _Oh, joy._ Tetsu remembered all too well what an agitated Bokuto in the night was like.

He sat up, wondering whether he should make some tea or maybe put on another movie for them — but, before he could actually turn it, Akaashi’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“It seems I’m going to have to help you sleep, then.”

Bokuto’s gasp echoed in the apartment, and Tetsu’s sleep-addled thought process narrowed down to one idea: _oh my God Akaashi finally murdered Bo._

Because he was nothing if not a good friend, he got off the bed in a rush and shoved the bedroom door open—

—only to find Bo sitting on the couch, sans pants, and Akaashi with his head buried between Bo’s legs.

There was a desperate shuffle as Akaashi launched himself backwards, Bokuto curled up to hide his dick, and Tetsu covered his eyes with his hands and tried not to process what he had just seen.

“ _Holy shit!_ ” he yelled, retreating to the bedroom, closing the door like it would shield him from the vision carved into his brain. “ _Oh my God!”_

“ _Tetsu!”_ Bokuto yelled back, opening the door again, all rolled up in his blanket _._ “Oh my God, man, I’m sorry!”

“Put on some _fucking pants_ , then, for fuck’s sake!”

“Oh, right!”

Akaashi came to the door as Bokuto hopped away, and at least _he_ was wearing all his clothes. “I am very sorry we have awakened you, Kuroo-san.”

Tetsu would probably have bought his controlled tone, if not for the fact the other man’s face was almost purple. “Jesus, Akaashi, are you OK? You gonna faint?”

“…I don’t think so,” Akaashi replied, checking his temperature with the back of his hands. “I think I just need some water.”

“I’ll get it!” Bokuto shouted from somewhere in the kitchen.

The shout was immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass, and then by the thump of the downstairs neighbor’s broom hitting the ceiling.

In the ensuing silence, Akaashi looked one-hundred percent done with his life. “Again, I’m sorry.”

Tetsu rubbed his face with his hands. “Hell, I’m sorry too, didn’t mean to barge in like that.”

“It _is_ your house. We were in the wrong.”

He waved dismissively. “Let’s not point fingers. I mean, it wasn’t — I just didn’t want to find out about you two _like that_.”

“…I can guarantee I didn’t want you to find out about us like this, either.”

“Here, Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed, pushing a glass into Akaashi’s hands. “Sorry, Tetsu, I broke some stuff.”

Tetsu snorted — and then started laughing quietly, eyeing the couple with a mischievous expression. “Akaashi, my man… he’s all yours.”

Akaashi let out a long sigh… but there was an answering smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

Later on that night, as Tetsu was trying (and failing) to fall asleep again, he couldn’t help but think that this was the natural conclusion to something he’d been witness to for a long time — and, well, he should probably be happy for them. Even if they had mentally scarred him forever in the process.

Although he would maybe learn to appreciate the soundless noise of living alone now.

* * *

**+1.**

The sound of plates knocking together yanked him from sleep.

He sat up drowsily, trying to ascertain whether he would have to take his own baseball bat out of the closet — until he registered the soft hallway light and the smell of brewing tea, and felt warmth spreading underneath his skin.

When he reached the kitchen, Daichi had half a sandwich, a mug of tea and a repentant expression on his face. “Damn it, I knew I was being too loud.”

“It’s all right,” Tetsu said, circling the table to kiss his husband in the mouth. “Welcome home.”

“I’m home,” Daichi replied, his breath ghosting against Tetsu’s lips.

The steam drifting off the tea had a calming, herbal scent; Tetsu grabbed some for himself before he sat by the table. “What was your shift like?”

“Uneventful. A drunk driver, some people speeding, one guy driving without a license who tried to hit Aomori in the head… Who knew Tokyo could be such a quiet place this time of the night?”

“Says the guy who worked in the Miyagi Police Force. I thought you spent all your time there helping old ladies cross the street?”

“There have to be some advantages to being a country bumpkin,” Daichi remarked with a teasing tone.

Tetsu smirked back. “Even if you never get to see the Skytree?”

“Are you ever going to let that go? Not everyone is born knowing what the Skytree is, you know. And I wasn’t the one screaming at a transmission tower!”

At that, a snort of laughter escaped Tetsu’s lips — and any kind of inquiry about their respective work shifts devolved into banter as Daichi practically inhaled the remains of his sandwich.

Afterwards, Tetsu laid down on their bed and watched Daichi take off his uniform and fold it neatly. The sight of Daichi’s toned stomach stirred the first workings of arousal inside him, but his eyes were already burning from lack of sleep and his husband looked equally as tired. 

He must have dozed off a little while Daichi was going through his night hygiene, because, the next time he opened his eyes, the other man was already slipping under the covers.

In the beginning, it had been a bit awkward to figure out a position for them to sleep together comfortably — they were both big guys, after all —, but by now practice had made the motions smooth. Daichi turned so Tetsu’s chest touched his back, and Tetsu threw an arm around him, his other arm folded underneath his own pillow. They would probably drift apart during the night, but, right then, the only thing he wanted was to feel his husband there in his arms.

The silence was broken by Daichi’s whispered voice. “Love you.”

“You too,” Tetsu answered, squeezing Daichi’s hip.

There were no other noises but Daichi’s quiet breath, and Tetsu hoped he could hear that sound till the end of time. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to check my Tumblr, it's @altumvidetur; there's a lot of fic recs there. And please check everyone else's works at @kurodai-week!


End file.
